How to Apply & FAQs » Frequently Asked Questions
Application Process
General Inquiries
What should I do if I am not certain which level of certification best matches my credentials?
Please review the requirements for each level and use your best judgment. The Board does consider applicants for approval at lower levels, and will occasionally approve exceptional applicants at higher levels. We recommend that you provide as much information as possible to assist the Board in its evaluation.
How many copies of my form does ESA need?
If you are submitting by mail, please send your original application plus 8 additional copies. These copies should include your cover letter and CV. For your own security, please leave the Application Fee Section blank on all copies but the original. Only one copy of any supplemental materials or letters of recommendation is required. If submitting online, only the digital copy of the application form is required, plus one copy of any supplemental materials or letters of recommendation.
Please Note: When the 2010 application period opens, the Professional Certification program will transition to an online-only application system. We recommend that all applicants, particularly those last certified in 2005 who will be up for recertification, familiarize themselves with the online form and submission procedures.
How do I handle the Membership verification section if I don’t have a membership ID?
Send a copy of your membership payment. If there is no proof of membership, you will be invoiced for the difference of non-member versus ESA member rate. As membership is a requirement for the Streamline process, please confirm your membership status before applying with this method.
Are supplemental materials required?
No, but they are encouraged, particularly for applicants working in nontraditional fields or positions, as well as for Senior Ecologists, who need to demonstrate written output.
Who do I contact if I am having difficulty with the application process?
After carefully checking the rest of the FAQ, the website, and forms to confirm that your question is not addressed here, please contact Membership Manager Rachel Dellon at 202-833-8773 ext. 216 or rachel@esa.org. If you are having difficulty with the online form, you may also contact Webmaster Zaw Aung at 202-833-8773 ext. 210 or webmaster@esa.org.
Streamlined Process
What are the Streamlined Process requirements?
In order to qualify for the Streamlined process, you must be a current ESA member, hold a PhD, and have at least 10 years of post-degree work experience, in addition to meeting the other requirements for the Senior Ecologist level.
Can I use the Streamlined form if I only meet some of these requirements?
No. You will either be denied or asked to complete the appropriate form and provide the Board with any additional required information, including letters of recommendation if appropriate.
Recertification
How do I know when it is time for me to reapply?
Certification lasts five years. While it is your responsibility to note the dates on your approval letter and certificate, broadcast e-mails will be sent out during the application period for the year your certification is due to expire, beginning in September or October. Please be sure to keep a current e-mail address on file with ESA so that we may contact you.
Why does ESA require recertification?
Because the certification program is intended for actively practicing ecologists, the Board must periodically reassess whether you have continued to meet the requirements for the level at which you were certified since your credentials were last reviewed. For this reason, it is important that you provide dates for all activities on your CV and your publications list, particularly those undertaken in the past five years.
My certification has lapsed. Which form do I use?
If less than a year has elapsed since your certification expired and you wish to continue at the same level, you may complete a Recertification form and note the lapse in your cover letter. If approved, your certification will be retroactive to the year in which your certification expired, and you will need to apply for recertification in four years rather than five.
If more than a year has elapsed since your certification expired, you must complete a New Certification form and include all required materials, including letters of recommendation if applicable. You may, however, note that you were previously certified in your application.
I wish to be considered for a higher level of certification. Which form do I use?
You should complete a New/Upgrade form and indicate that you are upgrading from your previous level. If the Board does not feel that you meet the requirements for the new level, you will be considered for your current level.
If you are an Ecologist who meets the requirements for the Streamlined Process, you may use this form instead, and indicate your previous level. However, the Board may request additional information from you if they do not find your cover letter and CV sufficient to evaluate you.
Do you still have my old application on file? If so, may I reuse portions of it instead of filling out the whole application again?
Unfortunately, ESA does not have storage space to keep applications on-site for more than a year. While this may change as we transition toward an all-digital format, please bear in mind that the Board will be looking for evidence that you have remained active and continued your professional development in the five years since your last certification. It is therefore to your advantage to submit an updated version.
Educational Requirements
One or more of my degrees is not in ecology. Can I still apply for certification?
Yes, provided you are able to meet the educational requirements and can show that your recent work experience involves application of ecological and biological principles to an appropriate degree for the level at which you are applying. Supplemental materials such as reports or other publications may be particularly helpful in demonstrating this.
One or more of my degrees is from an international institution. Can I still apply for certification?
Yes, provided your institution is accredited. For smaller, less well-known institutions, both abroad and in the U.S., additional information and/or documentation is encouraged.
I did not attend a school with a traditional semester/quarter system, or have continuing education courses. How can I determine my credit hours?
One semester hour equals one classroom meeting a week for 12-14 weeks, or two field/lab hours a week for 12-14 weeks. Therefore, a full three-credit course has three lecture hours a week, and a four-credit course has three lecture hours plus two lab hours, or two lecture hours plus a four-hour field trip.
Another way of thinking about this is that a total of 45-46 contact hours of class time equals a three-credit lecture. A person in a six-day course with eight hours a day of contact time then has 48 hours, or the equivalent of a three-credit lecture in semester hours. Number of contact hours includes the time for exams.
Does ESA require or endorse any continuing education programs?
While ESA encourages continuing education, it is not a mandatory component of the certification program, and we do not endorse any specific programs. (We do, however, encourage attendance at the ESA Annual Meeting, which always features a scientific session sponsored by the Board of Professional Certification.)
Can the Board review my course list and/or program of study before I send in my application?
Unfortunately, the Board cannot assess your qualifications in full until the review period.If you believe a class may require further explanation, we encourage you to do so in your application.
Work Experience Requirements
What is the cutoff date for length of experience?
Length of experience will be evaluated up to the Primary Deadline, February 1. If you are not able to meet the minimum post-degree work experience for the level at which you are applying by this date, please wait until next year to apply, particularly if you are applying as an Associate Ecologist or plan to use the Streamlined Process.
Can time spent during graduate school count towards my work experience?
If you are using a lower degree to fulfill the educational requirements for the level at which you are applying, work experience during graduate school will count as half-time and should be listed accordingly in your application. If a graduate degree is needed to fulfill the educational requirements, you may not count any work experience prior to receiving that degree.
References and Letters of Recommendation
How many references and letters of recommendation do I need?
Applicants using the New/Upgrade form must provide three references and two letters of recommendation. At least one of these references and letters must be from a current ESA member, and only one letter may be from your current organization. Please clearly indicate which references fulfill the ESA member requirement on your application form. To check your intended recommender’s membership status, please contact the Membership Manager.
Recertification applicants are not required to provide letters of recommendation, but must still provide three references. Again, at least one of these references must be a current ESA member, and should be clearly indicated as such on the application form.
Applicants using the Streamlined Process are not required to provide references or letters of recommendation.
Who should I ask?
Your references and recommenders should be colleagues, supervisors, advisors, or other individuals capable of evaluating your credentials in an informed and objective manner. You may not request a reference or letter of recommendation from a subordinate. Again, note that you may only choose one letter writer from your current organization.
How do I go about obtaining an ESA member as a reference/recommender?
If you are an ESA member, you may log in and use the members-only directory to search for members in your area. (We recommend that you make your search as specific as possible to obtain optimal results.) You may also use the Certified Ecologist directory, which is open to the public. However, please note that not all Certified Ecologists are current ESA members. If you need to check an individual’s membership status, please contact the Membership Manager.
Alternately, you may ask one of your current references to join ESA by the March 31 deadline. If this is fast approaching and your reference is sending his or her membership form by fax or e-mail, please contact the Membership Manager to let her know.
Can letters of recommendation be sent by e-mail?
Copies of letters of recommendation may be sent to the Membership Manager by e-mail, and applicants should encourage their recommenders to do so if a deadline is fast approaching. However, the applicant’s approval will be contingent on official signed copies of these recommendations arriving at ESA Headquarters before the Board makes its decision.
Application Fees
What methods of payment does ESA accept?
Mailed payments may be made by check, wire transfer, VISA, or MasterCard. Make checks payable in U.S. dollars to the Ecological Society of America, and write “Certification Application Fee for [applicant’s name]” in the memo line to ensure proper processing. Foreign remitters may use drafts on U.S. banks and U.S. postal money orders. To pay by wire transfer, contact the Membership Manager for details.
Online payments may be made by VISA or MasterCard using the form linked on the instructions page of the online application.
Can I pay my application and ESA membership fee simultaneously?
Yes, you may send in your membership payment at the same time as your application. However, to simplify billing, we ask that you write out separate checks or charges. Please also indicate that your membership form needs to be processed, and is not being submitted as proof of payment.
Will I need to pay the application fee again next year to maintain my certification?
No. The fee covers all five years of your certification. (You will, however, need to renew your ESA membership on a yearly basis to maintain member standing and benefits.)
Can my application fee be returned if I am not approved or decide not to go through with the certification process?
Under all but the most exceptional circumstances, certification fees are nonrefundable.
Deadlines
What happens to my application if it is received after February 1st?
All applications post-marked or time-stamped before February 1st will be accepted. Those post-marked or time-stamped between February 2nd and March 31st will be accepted and charged/ invoiced a late fee of $25. Any applications post-marked or time-stamped after March 31st will be returned to the applicant.
If my recommendation letters are not submitted before the March 31st deadline, how does that affect my application process?
If you suspect your letters will not arrive before April 15, please contact the Membership Manager to alert her and encourage your letter writers to send electronic copies in the interim. Any letters received before the Certification Board meets to review the applications will be distributed to the Board and considered. However, if letters are received after the first meeting, they will not be considered unless the Board needs more information. In such cases, letters must be received by the deadline indicated on the request for additional information (typically mid/late July).
When can I expect to be informed of my certification status?
The Board typically meets in June to evaluate all applications. Applicants who need to submit additional information for the secondary review at the Annual Meeting will be advised of their status first to give them sufficient time to respond, followed by denials and approvals. All applicants will be informed of their status by the end of August.
Can I send my application for next year between April and August?
We appreciate your enthusiasm, but no. The Board and Membership Manager need this time to sort through the current application materials. Moreover, it is possible that the Board will determine that clarifications or changes to the process need to be made which will affect you. We encourage you to use the review period to put your resume in order and line up your references so that you will be ready when the application period reopens in the fall.
Thank you for your interest in our certification program, and we look forward to your application.
